cret of her fhame, or to fuffer her to think herfelf fecure.

She was, however, beginning to meditate on this point, when fhe heard mifs Flora come up ftairs, calling at every step, "miss Betfy — mifs Betfy! - where are 66 you ?" Gayland was gone, and his young miftrefs being told mifs Betfy was come home, gueffed it was the who had given an interruption to their pleasures, by coming to the door; fhe, therefore, as fhe could not imagine her fo perfectly convinced, contrived to disguise the whole, and worst of the truth, by revealing a part of it; and as foon as fhe had found her, "Lord, mifs Betfy !" cried fhe, with an unparalell'd affurance, where have you "been? how do you think I have been "ferved by that curfed toad Gayland? "he came up into our chamber, where "the mantua-maker and I were, and as "foon as she was gone, locked the door,

and began to kifs and touze me fo, that "I proteft I was frighted almost out of "my wits. The devil meant no harm "though, I believe, for I got rid of him

eafy enough; but I wish you had rapped heartily at the door, and obliged him to open it, that we both might have "rated him for his impudence." "Some people have a great deal of impudence,

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"indeed," replied mifs Betfy, aftonished at her manner of bearing it off. “Aye, "fo they have, my dear, rejoined the "other, with a carelefs air; but, prithee, "where have you been rambling by your “ felf ?” "No farther than Bedford"street," answered mifs Betfy: "you may "fee on what errand," continued fhe, pointing to the filks, which fhe had laid down on a chair. Mifs Flora presently ran to the bundle, examined what it contained, and either being in a better humour, or affecting to be fo, than when they talked on this head in the parlour, teftified no difapprobation of what she had done; but, on the contrary, talked to her in fuch foft obliging terms, that mifs Betsy, who had a great deal of good-nature, when not provoked by any thing that seemed an affront to herself, could not find in her heart to fay any thing to give her confufion.

When lady Mellafin came home, and was informed how mifs Betfy had behayed, in relation to the filk, fhe at first put on an air full of refentment; but finding the other wanted neither wit nor spirit to defend her own caufe, and not caring to break with her, efpecially as her daughter was going with her to L -e, foon grew more moderate, and, at length,

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affected

Certain

affected to think no more of it. it is, however, that this affair, filly as it was, and, as one would think, infignificant in itself, lay broiling in the minds of both mother and daughter, and they waited only for an opportunity of venting their fpite, in fuch a manner, as should not make them appear to have the least tincture of fo foul and mean a paffion; but as neither of them were capable of a fincere friendship, and had no real regard for any one befide themselves, their dif pleasure was of little confequence.

-Preparations for the journey of the young ladies, feemed, for the prefent, to employ all their thoughts, and diligence enough was used to get every thing ready against the time prefixed, which wanted but three days of being expired, when an unforeseen accident put an entire ftop to it.

Mifs Betfy received a letter from her brother, mr. Francis Thoughtless, accompanied with another to mr. Goodman, acquainting them, that he had obtained. leave from the head of the college, to pafs a month in London; that he should fet out from Oxford in two days, and hoped to enjoy the fatisfaction of being with them in twelve hours after his letter. What VOL. I. could

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could fhe now do? it would have been a fin, not only against natural affection, but against the rules of common good manners, to have left the town, either on the news of his arrival, or immediately after it; nor could lady Trufty expect, or defire the fhould entertain a thought of doing fo fhe was too wife, and too good not to confider the intereft of families, very much depended on the ftrict union among the branches of it; and that the natural affection between brothers and fifters, could not be too much cultivated. Far, therefore, from infifting on the promise miss Betfy had made of going with her into the country, fhe congratulated her on the happy disappointment, and told her, that fhe fhould receive her with a double fatisfaction, if, after mr. Francis returned to Oxford, fhe would come and pass what then remained of the fummer season with her. This, mifs Betfy affured her ladyfhip, fhe would do; fo that, according to all appearance, the benefits fhe might have received, by being under the eye of fo excellent an inftructrefs, were but delayed, not loft.

Relates how, by a concurrence of odd circumftances, mifs Betfy was brought pretty near the crifis of her fate, and the means by which fhe efcaped.

MR.

R. Francis Thoughtless arrived in town the very evening before the day in which fir Ralph Trufty and his lady were to fet out for Le. They had not feen this young gentleman fince the melancholly occafion of his father's funeral, and would have been glad to have had fome time with him; but could no way put off their Journey, as word was fent of the day in which they expected to be at home fir Ralph knew very well, that a great number of his tenants, and friends, would meet him on the road, and a letter would not reach them foon enough to pre vent them from being difappointed: they fupped with him, however, at mr. Goodman's, who would not permit him to have. any other home than his houfe, during his stay in town. Lady Trufty, on taking leave of mifs Betfy, faid to her, fhe hoped fhe would remember her promise when her brother was returned to Oxford; on E 2 which